The Velazquest Family
Chapter 1
The sun cast its warm glow over Royal Woods as the Velazquest family stepped into their new home, a charming residence nestled just across the street from another house that seemed to have a whirlwind of ongoing activity. Moving day had finally arrived, and excitement brimmed within the household as each family member explored the rooms that would soon become their haven.
Jason and Elizabeth, the parental figures of the Velazquest clan, exchanged smiles as they unpacked boxes and arranged furniture. Their new beginning in Royal Woods was marked with the promise of fresh adventures and the embrace of a tight-knit community. The African American family looked like your typical modern American family with one exception. The father and the children all had white hair while the mother had beautiful raven colored hair.
Jason, now in his late 40's, was starting to lose his hair on the top of his head but despite his wrinkles, he still held a youthful gleam in his eyes. Elizabeth, a year younger than her husband, was a beautifully mature woman with kind eyes and a gentle smile. Despite her calm demeanor, she could be tough when needed.
Leo, the eldest son, took charge of organizing the garage, transforming it into a makeshift gym. The rhythmic clanking of weights echoed through the neighborhood as he channeled his discipline from military life into sculpting his physique. Standing at 6 '2, he was the tallest of his family so far. His white hair used to be kept short due to his military obligations and regulations but since his honorable discharge, Leo had decided to let it grow out. It was now a big puffy afro that he could style into dreads if he ever felt like. Currently he wore a camo jacket and pants with a light blue shirt and orange boots. Despite his imposing stature, Leo's warm smile and commitment to family endeared him to his younger siblings.
Meanwhile, David, the sports enthusiast, found himself in the backyard, tossing a football with a neighbor who welcomed the newcomers with open arms. David was the second oldest and he was 6 feet tall, just two inches shorter than his older brother. He was built like a bull and could charge like one too when on the field. His thick locks went past his shoulders and bangs hid his eyes. But when it came to game time, he would pull them back into a ponytail and throwdown. He wore a white shirt with a black and seafoam green jacket with blue pants and orange shoes. His easygoing nature and genuine camaraderie quickly earned him a place among the local youths.
Inside, Tommy's room echoed with the sounds of fast-paced music as he tinkered with his collection of instruments. His fingers danced effortlessly across the guitar strings, filling the air with an eclectic mix of tunes. The passion for speed and melody defined Tommy's world, setting a lively tone within the Velazquest household. Tommy was the third oldest son of the family and he was about 5 '9, a few inches shorter than David. While not as built as his two older brothers, Tommy was still pretty strong due to hauling his musical equipment around all of the time. They would tease him that he was a one man band and while technically true, Tommy just liked to be hands on when it came to managing his instruments. He wore a black and purple windbreaker and black pants along with black boots. His white hair was styled in long tight dreads that were bound into a ponytail at the end.
In the living room, Milton huddled around his laptop, engrossed in the world of filmmaking. Dreams of creating cinematic masterpieces filled his thoughts as he edited footage from family videos, envisioning a future where his creations graced the silver screen. Milton was the fourth son and was pretty scrawny compared to his older brothers. His hair was just as white but he styled it into a flat top that rose about 4 inches above his head. He was often teased about it from his siblings because it looked like he was trying to appear taller since he was only 5 '2. He wore a black and white shirt with yellow and black checkered pants and orange boots.
Downstairs, Johnny, the prankster of the family, planned a series of harmless tricks that left his younger siblings laughing and shaking their heads in disbelief. His culinary skills, a surprising talent among the chaos, added an extra layer of charm to the young boy that made it easy to forgive him previous pranks. After all, who could stay mad when a delicious cookie or cupcake was offered? Johny, the firth son, was about 4 '3. He had thick locks that went past his shoulders and he wore a brown hat with goggles on top. He wore a red jacket that held a lot of pockets to carry whatever he needed for his pranks. His black cargo pants also held a lot of pockets. And he had orange jordans, which were his favorite.
Beside her brother, Johny, was Delilah, the sole daughter of the Velazquest family. She was the middle child and despite her cute exterior, she wasn't a stranger to getting down with the boys and rough housing. Having grown up in a house of mostly boys, Delilah learned to adapt and plan ahead to get ahead of her brothers. Delilah was born 6th in her family and she was only 4 feet tall. She had short white hair with long bangs. And she also added light brown highlights to her hair to add a little flavor, as she called it. She wore blue jean overall shorts with an orange sleeveless blouse and orange jordans.
The enigmatic Luis, with his dark demeanor and love for extreme sports, could be found zipping through the neighborhood on his skateboard. His penchant for danger and thrill created a stark contrast to the suburban serenity of Royal Woods, capturing the attention of curious onlookers. Luis was the 7th son and he was about 4 feet tall. His white hair was long and scraggly and went past his shoulders. He resembled his mother more since he was the only one who had her darker skin tone. Everyone else had their father's lighter shade. He wore a big black jacket with a large skull in the center. He also wore grey jeans with custom purple dino boots that his mom bought him for his birthday.
The twins, Larry and Charlie, the 8th and 9th sons respectively, paraded around the backyard in their distinctive outfits—one a cowboy and the other a magician. Their playful banter and contrasting interests added a touch of whimsy to the family's daily life. Larry, as the cowboy, let his white hair grow long and shaggy. Charlie, as the elegant magician, kept his well groomed and slicked back with gel so that it wouldn't be out of place when he removed his hat.
In the midst of the bustling household, Frankie, the 10th son and the young science prodigy, conducted his own experiments in a corner of the kitchen. Bubbling beakers and excited exclamations filled the air as he explored the wonders of the scientific world. He had shaggy hair as well and he wore a pair of thick goggles when working on his experiments. He wore a green shirt and baggy pants with brown boots. And to add to his look, he wore an oversized white lab coat.
Hanging out with Frankie was the baby of the family, Sammy. He watched as Frankie made a new type of blowing bubbles for him that actually turned his white hair a different color for a couple of seconds each time one popped on him. Needless to say, Sammy enjoyed hanging out with his older siblings. Sammy was the 11th son and final child. He wore a purple onesie and had a wild mess of hair on his head.
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As the family got settled in, Leo, the oldest, walked into his shared room with David and looked down at the mess of sports equipment and jerseys. With a sigh, he shouted down the hall for his younger brother. The room, a testament to the active and varied interests of the brothers, seemed to be in a perpetual state of chaos.
Not one to tolerate disorder for too long, Leo decided it was time for some organization. With a determined expression, he shouted down the hall for his younger brother.
"David! We need to do something about this room. It looks like a sports equipment tornado hit it!"
His voice carried down the hallway, echoing through the house, as Leo prepared for the inevitable task of corralling the chaos that came with living in a household filled with energetic and passionate siblings. The echo of Leo's shout had barely faded when David's loud and hurried footsteps reverberated through the house. With a sense of urgency, David rushed up the stairs, curiosity evident in his expression. The prospect of an unexpected task or mission had sparked his interest.
Bounding into the room, David scanned the sports equipment-strewn landscape and raised an eyebrow at Leo. "What's up, Leo? Did someone challenge us to a room-cleaning competition?"
Leo chuckled at his brother's enthusiastic response. "Close enough, David. I just figured it's time to bring some order to this chaos. We need a game plan to tackle this sports equipment avalanche."
David grinned, ready for the challenge. "I'm in! Let's turn this room from a sports zone disaster to a well-organized victory!"
Leo knew exactly how to get his brothers to act accordingly. And being in the military had only helped him sharpen his leadership skills. Leo set up the task of cleaning the room and whoever finished their side the fastest would be the winner and would claim bragging rights. The two brothers stood on opposite sides of the room, set a timer for 30 seconds, and waited for the game to start.
As soon as the bell rang, they were off to the floor, picking up balls, a baseball bat, and tennis racket and tossing them in their storage bin that David had mounted to the wall of his side. Within 2 minutes the two brothers finished their task and their floor was clutter free.
"Looks like you win, bro." Leo said as he ruffled his younger brother's hair.
"Hey now, watch the hair." David chuckled as he batted his brother's arm away. "And of course I won, I'm the best."
"You sure are, dude, you sure are." Leo grinned, knowing that he had managed to get their room clean by using David's love of competition to accomplish their goal.
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Tommy finished storing his prized guitar in its case after making sure that it made the journey to their new home without any issues. The melody it played was all the proof Tommy needed to know that his axe was fine. As he turned around to see what else needed his attention, he paled when he realized that he had made a mess in the room he shared with Milton. His guitar wasn't the only instrument that he had tested to make sure that it was in working order. Not wanting to be accused of hogging their shared space, Tommy began to gather his things and carry them down towards the basement where their parents had allowed him to build a soundproof studio. It wasn't ready yet but Leo promised to help him build it soon.
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Milton was sitting on the couch when a throat was cleared in front of him. Looking up, he saw that it was his little sister, Delilah, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.
"Um..hey, sis. What's up?" Milton asked.
"Mil, you know that we're still unloading the moving truck, right?" Delilah asked him.
Milton gulped. "R-Really? I thought that we were done already." He said as he began to hide his laptop behind his back. His sister was cute but also mean when it came to making sure they all did their chores. He wouldn't let her take his laptop...not again!
"Nope. Now are you going to be a good boy and help or do I need to...persuade you?" Delilah asked.
Milton did not miss the way her eyes glanced towards his laptop for a moment. Shooting up to his feet, Milton hurried towards the door. "I'll be a good boy and help right now!"
Johnny walked around the corner and chuckled. "That was mean, sis."
"He deserved it for slacking off." Delilah said before pointing at Johnny. "And what are you doing?"
"Definitely not slacking off." Johnny said quickly as he hurried after Milton.
Delilah looked around to see if any other of her brothers needed a reminder that their things wouldn't unload themselves from the truck.
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Luis stopped at the corner of the street and looked around. He had managed to escape unloading duty after taking out his things by jumping on his skateboard and rolling away before anyone could notice. He wasn't lazy, just not interested in heavy lifting a bunch of stuff that his older brothers could handle no problem.
Taking a moment to look around, Luis surveyed the neighborhood from his vantage point on the skateboard. The sun cast a warm glow on the streets, and the sound of kids playing echoed in the air. Luis enjoyed the feeling of the wind against his face as he coasted along, a small grin playing on his lips.
Not one to be bogged down by mundane chores, Luis would rather get a handle on this new town and see where he could get his thrills. After all, they said that danger was around every corner and he just needed to find it. Picking a direction, he began to skate away, further and further from his older sister who would no doubt be looking for him.
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Larry giggled as he looked down at his twin, Charlie.
"This isn't funny, you know." Charlie glared.
"I dunno, it's pretty funny to me." Larry giggled.
Charlie was currently hogtied in their backyard courtesy of his twin, Larry. "Untie me at once!"
"Nope. Mr. Houdini here says he can do it all on his lonesome. So do it. I'll wait." Larry grinned, teasing his brother.
Charlie's glare intensified but it didn't help untie him any faster. He had been the one to brag to his brother that he could escape anything like Houdini, who Charlie admired. Ever the magician, Charlie let his brother hogtie him, which was Larry's specialty, and declared that he would be free in the blink of an eye. Well a blink came and went. Then two. And then a hundred. Now Charlie was embarrassed because he couldn't break out. He had forgotten to tense his muscles when his brother was tying him to allow some slack in the rope. Now he couldn't even move an inch!
"Please help me..." Charlie murmured, barely above a whisper.
"What was that? I'm afraid I can't hear ya?" Larry said as he leaned down towards him, cupping his ear to pretend to be listening to him.
"Please help me." Charlie said a little loud, not looking up at the smug face of his twin.
"Will you admit that you can't escape my knots?" Larry asked as he crouched beside him.
"I can't escape your knots..." Charlie said through gritted teeth. "Yet."
Larry giggled but nodded. "Yet." He agreed before helping his twin out.
Once free, the two of them went out to see if they could help out with small stuff since they were still kids. Their older sister directed them to what they could help with.
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Frankie, the young science prodigy of the Velazquest family, sat with his younger brother Sammy, eager to share the wonders of a scientific experiment. Holding a bubble solution in one hand and a small device in the other, Frankie began explaining the science behind his hair color-changing blowing bubbles.
"Alright, Sammy, check this out!" Frankie exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "See this bubble solution? I've added a special substance that reacts to temperature changes."
Sammy's eyes widened with curiosity as he focused on the bubble solution. "Temperature changes? What's gonna happen?"
Frankie grinned, ready to unveil the magic. "Watch this." He carefully blew a bubble, and as it floated in the air, its surface began to shimmer with different colors.
"Whoa! That's so cool!" Sammy exclaimed, reaching out to touch the iridescent bubble.
Frankie chuckled. "But that's not all. See my hair?" He pointed to his hair, which seemed to change colors in sync with the bubble. "The solution also makes my hair change, so when the bubbles change color, my hair does too!"
Sammy's eyes widened in amazement. "You mean your hair changes color with the bubbles? That's like magic!"
Frankie shook his head with a smile. "Not magic, Sammy, just science! It's all about chemical reactions and using cool substances. And besides, it makes blowing bubbles even more fun, right?"
Sammy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Can you teach me how to do it too?"
Frankie ruffled Sammy's hair affectionately. "Absolutely! Science is for everyone, little bro. Get ready for a colorful bubble adventure!"
In addition to his color-changing bubble solution, Frankie proudly presented another creation to his younger brother Sammy—an enchanting bubble blowing solution that had a delightful surprise. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Frankie explained the unique properties of this magical concoction.
"Okay, Sammy, check this out. This bubble solution not only changes color but also has a special ingredient that makes you giggle for three seconds when a bubble lands on you," Frankie announced, holding up the bottle with a sense of excitement.
Sammy's eyes widened in amazement. "Giggle bubbles? That sounds awesome! How did you make that?"
Frankie, always eager to share the wonders of science, explained, "I added a tiny amount of a harmless, ticklish substance to the solution. So, when the bubble pops on your skin, it triggers a little burst of laughter. It's like a tickle surprise!"
As Frankie blew a giggly bubble into the air, it floated toward Sammy and gently burst on his arm. True to its promise, Sammy found himself giggling uncontrollably for three seconds.
"Whoa, that's so much fun!" Sammy exclaimed between giggles. "Can I try it too?"
Frankie handed Sammy the bubble wand and encouraged him to give it a go. Soon, the room was filled with the sound of laughter as Sammy experienced the joyous effects of the giggle-inducing bubble solution.
The scene that Delilah walked in on was one where their corner of the living room was filled with bubbles and her two little brothers had their hair changing different colors while giggling uncontrollably. As she approached them, one of the bubbles landed on her arm and she felt a sudden urge to start giggling. Soon she was trapped in the giggle storm until the bubbles were all gone and she managed to wipe her eyes of the happy tears.
"What was that, Frankie?" Delilah asked as she looked at the young genius of the family.
"Sorry, Sis, we kind of got carried away there." Frankie said as he scratched the back of his head. "They're called Giggle Bubbles and Sammy turned on the bubble blowing gun without realizing that it would flood us with bubbles."
"Sorry." Sammy apologized but he didn't look too regretful. He had fun.
"I also made a solution that changed our hair colors based on the temperature." Frankie explained. "That's why our hair colors shifted so much."
"Well it was harmless but please be careful, Frankie." Delilah said as she rubbed their heads. "We're almost done unloading the truck so that Dad can take it back to the Uhaul."
"Brilliant. Afterwards we can order some pizza!" Frankie said, recalling that their parents agreed to buy pizza for dinner.
At the mention of Pizza, most of the brothers chimed in as they entered the living room.
"Sweet, let's get a Hawaiian pizza!" Leo said as he placed his box on the floor.
"Ew, not this again. Bro, Pineapple does not belong on Pizza." Tommy said with a disgusted look.
"Don't eat it then." David grinned, totally on Leo's side.
"I don't know how we're even related." Charlie chimed in.
"Tell me about it." Larry agreed. "Pineapple is great on pizza."
"What? I thought you were on my side!" Charlie exclaimed, turning to his twin. "Pineapple on pizza is an abomination!"
"That was when I was 6. I'm grown now. I can appreciate the finer things in life." Larry said.
"Hey now, Pineapple and tomatoes are both fruits. They can exist on pizza together." Johnny said as he stood in between the twins.
"Tomatoes are vegetables, dummy!" Charlie said.
"Actually, Tomatoes are indeed fruits." Frankie spoke up as he jumped on top of a box. "It's a common misconception."
"He's a genius so he would know." Milton agreed.
"Guys!" Delilah shouted before they could continue this debate for the millionth time. "We can get multiple pizzas. So shut up about this. I swear, this is why I hate pizza day."
This made her brother's gasp as they heard her declare that she hated pizza day. At this point, Luis walked in and to his surprise it was quiet. "What?" He asked.
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As the day came to an end, the Velazquest family trekked off to bed in order to rest up and tackle the next day with a smile and energy to match. They had been able to finish unloading their moving truck and would spend the next few days organizing as a family. After all, a home was what you made of it and they were determined to make it the best home.
Little did they know that this home would be one filled with the promise of new friendships and new adventures as it continued to unfold.
End of chapter.